A long time ago, when I was a lot younger (and single!) I dreamt that my job would take me traveling around the world. I wanted to be a journalist because (a) I love to write and (b) I wanted to travel the world without actually having to cough up my own money to do it. Well, fast forward so many years later (I'm not going to say how many), my job has taken me to most of the countries I've wanted to visit at least once in my life, and I consider myself pretty darn lucky.
Scratch that -- I consider myself at this point quite confused.
One the one hand, yes, absolutely, with my love of traveling, getting on and off airplanes should be a joy and a lot of people would actually kill for my job. For crying out loud, Paris 6 times a year! But on the other hand, with my schedule for the next few months, the thought of that smell you smell once you board a plane really makes me kinda sick these days. Add to that the fact that I feel so insanely guilty for leaving the kids all the time - yeah, I totally forget sometimes how "lucky" I am.
I shouldn't be complaining, really. I've gotten so many Facebook comments every time I post that I am traveling about how envious people are at me (or my job, not me per se). And hey, with the amount of packing I do, I can now qualify to be a professional packer or something. Heck, I can probably pack with blindfolds on these days! And it doesn't hurt that I'm getting a pretty decent amount of frequent flyer points these days. On top of that, I also have friends who better replicate George Clooney in his Up in the Air character - they literally barely see land these days and are always flying to and from somewhere. Their best meals have consisted of airport lounge food! I am definitely not jealous of them!
But... on the occasional off day (like today), when I'm packing in the middle of the night have the rare opportunity to watch my children fall asleep in my arms, I tell myself I should try and travel less (though it's not entirely within my control). And, to watch the nanny roll her eyes when I tell her I'm going again is not really that pleasant to see. Or, listening to my husband tell me I'm going to miss another school meeting.
Turns out, it's all for the best that my husband decided to quit his job and do his own thing this year because he now has time to do all these parent-teacher school meetings! Who would have thought?
Just to fill you in on my travel schedule over the next few months: Singapore, Surabaya, Singapore, Paris, Geneva, Paris and Paris again... All between now and February 2011. Yikes, just reading all those destinations gave me shivers.
So is the glass half full or half empty? Am I lucky or am I unfortunate? Shall this just be left undecided and be considered just another typical dramatic rant of mine?
Yeah - the last one, probably.
But, I'll say this: when New Year's comes around and it's time for another round of resolutions, I think one of mine will be to ask my boss if I could tone down the traveling a bit. :)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Confessions of a Worry-wart (a.k.a. a Mom)
I woke up panting in bed this morning, having just had a bad dream. I dreamt that my son Matthew was running around screaming and in panic because he couldn't find me, while I was screaming behind him trying to catch up and calling his name, but he just couldn't hear me. When I finally caught up to him, we were both out of breath and both crying our eyes out, frustrated and frightened at the same time.
Why did I have this dream, you ask?
I'm not a dream expert, so you may not want to come to me when you want your dreams interpreted, but I know exactly why I had this particular dream.
See, we found out that my son has moderate hearing loss and needs hearing aids just before he started his first year of primary school. We went through a number of doctors and a gazillion tests, and at the end of the day, he still needed hearing aids so we got them for him. I was unfortunately in Paris the day we actually had to come and pick them up, so I didn't see him wear them the first time around. But the minute I saw the picture that my husband sent to me on my BlackBerry, I'll be honest with you, I burst into tears.
I have been having so many mixed feelings about this whole situation. On one hand, yes, I want him to be able to hear and speak like any other kid his age. I want him to be able to understand when we talk to him without me having to speak loudly and slowly to his face. I want to be able to hug him from behind and whisper "I love you" in his hear without him having to turn around and look at me like I was just trying to tickle his ear - so if hearing aids are the answer to all that, then yeah, I figured, let's do it. But on the other hand, I just don't want him to be different either. I don't want these things attached to his ears be something that kids can tease him about.
About a week ago, when I shared this with a trusted friend - who I admire and look up to - she told me, "What's the difference with kids who have to wear glasses? It's the same, it's just that hearing aids are less common than glasses," which I thought was profound. It made me feel a heck of a lot better at the time, but now I wish more people thought that way. When I shared Matthew's situation with some other friends, they looked at me with pity and said, "We hope he'll be OK with wearing that ugly thing." (Note to self: this very much proves the theory that what kinds of friends you hang out with truly does matter. You hang with the negative, you think negatively. You hang with the positive, and your whole outlook on life is entirely different).
I'm not going to lie, I worry for my son.
He's a cheerful boy, always happy and smiley, and is always positive about everything. He has no reservations about going up to other kids and asking them to play, and he has gotten along wonderfully with his new classmates at school. He is very confident and I never want this to change so I certainly don't want the hearing aids to change him into the opposite of all those things. But I guess everything that comes after this is beyond what I can control. For now, what I can do is encourage him to keep being the way he is, tell him that it's alright to be different and that everyone is different one way or another, and tell him how much we love him and how great we think he is. And of course, I can pray for him, the way I pray for him every day. The rest, I guess, is up to society. I really hope kids these days are better equipped with dealing with differences, not like how they used to be when I was growing up. I hope to God that kids these days are considerate, respectful and kindhearted. Is that too much to ask?
Why did I have this dream, you ask?
I'm not a dream expert, so you may not want to come to me when you want your dreams interpreted, but I know exactly why I had this particular dream.
See, we found out that my son has moderate hearing loss and needs hearing aids just before he started his first year of primary school. We went through a number of doctors and a gazillion tests, and at the end of the day, he still needed hearing aids so we got them for him. I was unfortunately in Paris the day we actually had to come and pick them up, so I didn't see him wear them the first time around. But the minute I saw the picture that my husband sent to me on my BlackBerry, I'll be honest with you, I burst into tears.
I have been having so many mixed feelings about this whole situation. On one hand, yes, I want him to be able to hear and speak like any other kid his age. I want him to be able to understand when we talk to him without me having to speak loudly and slowly to his face. I want to be able to hug him from behind and whisper "I love you" in his hear without him having to turn around and look at me like I was just trying to tickle his ear - so if hearing aids are the answer to all that, then yeah, I figured, let's do it. But on the other hand, I just don't want him to be different either. I don't want these things attached to his ears be something that kids can tease him about.
About a week ago, when I shared this with a trusted friend - who I admire and look up to - she told me, "What's the difference with kids who have to wear glasses? It's the same, it's just that hearing aids are less common than glasses," which I thought was profound. It made me feel a heck of a lot better at the time, but now I wish more people thought that way. When I shared Matthew's situation with some other friends, they looked at me with pity and said, "We hope he'll be OK with wearing that ugly thing." (Note to self: this very much proves the theory that what kinds of friends you hang out with truly does matter. You hang with the negative, you think negatively. You hang with the positive, and your whole outlook on life is entirely different).
I'm not going to lie, I worry for my son.
He's a cheerful boy, always happy and smiley, and is always positive about everything. He has no reservations about going up to other kids and asking them to play, and he has gotten along wonderfully with his new classmates at school. He is very confident and I never want this to change so I certainly don't want the hearing aids to change him into the opposite of all those things. But I guess everything that comes after this is beyond what I can control. For now, what I can do is encourage him to keep being the way he is, tell him that it's alright to be different and that everyone is different one way or another, and tell him how much we love him and how great we think he is. And of course, I can pray for him, the way I pray for him every day. The rest, I guess, is up to society. I really hope kids these days are better equipped with dealing with differences, not like how they used to be when I was growing up. I hope to God that kids these days are considerate, respectful and kindhearted. Is that too much to ask?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Friends
It's funny how things work out sometimes. My friends and I are sometimes so busy, so wrapped up in our everyday lives that we miss out on bonding time and catching up time. Time passes by, and all of a sudden you realize months have passed and you haven't seen your friends in ages.
A couple that my husband and I are good friends with - who are amazing photographers & creative artists by the way - have been traveling throughout the year and we have hardly seen them. I, being the busy body I am, have also been traveling quite a fair bit, so I've missed a few get togther sessions myself. But this month - yesterday to be exact - I had the rare opportunity of hanging out with them and having some wine and a decent conversation... in Paris! We're all from Jakarta, and yet we actually get to hang out in Paris.
They were traveling through Europe, and I was again on one of my many Paris business trips, and at the spur of the moment decided to meet each other for drinks after work. I can't tell you how excited I was! To actually be able to enjoy a decent amount of time talking to people outside the work circle and outside my family just seemed so precious and rare that I am actually writing a whole darn blog page about it!
It got me thinking: no matter how busy we are, we need to make time to spend quality time with our friends. Family is important - the most important in fact - and work is nearly just as important. But to me, friends are the people who keep you sane and on your feet. Friends (real friends, I mean) are those who take your mind off all your problems or who let you unload your problems onto them. When you fight with your in-laws or your parents drive you up the wall, you turn to friends and they'll crack up a joke that calms your nerves. Well, at least mine do, and I love them to bits for it.
This isn't really a profound or earth-shattering blog post, but I just really wanted to express how much I value my friends. I'd be nothing without them. I'm holding a glass of wine right, and I'm toasting to friendship. I hope you are too.
A couple that my husband and I are good friends with - who are amazing photographers & creative artists by the way - have been traveling throughout the year and we have hardly seen them. I, being the busy body I am, have also been traveling quite a fair bit, so I've missed a few get togther sessions myself. But this month - yesterday to be exact - I had the rare opportunity of hanging out with them and having some wine and a decent conversation... in Paris! We're all from Jakarta, and yet we actually get to hang out in Paris.
They were traveling through Europe, and I was again on one of my many Paris business trips, and at the spur of the moment decided to meet each other for drinks after work. I can't tell you how excited I was! To actually be able to enjoy a decent amount of time talking to people outside the work circle and outside my family just seemed so precious and rare that I am actually writing a whole darn blog page about it!
It got me thinking: no matter how busy we are, we need to make time to spend quality time with our friends. Family is important - the most important in fact - and work is nearly just as important. But to me, friends are the people who keep you sane and on your feet. Friends (real friends, I mean) are those who take your mind off all your problems or who let you unload your problems onto them. When you fight with your in-laws or your parents drive you up the wall, you turn to friends and they'll crack up a joke that calms your nerves. Well, at least mine do, and I love them to bits for it.
This isn't really a profound or earth-shattering blog post, but I just really wanted to express how much I value my friends. I'd be nothing without them. I'm holding a glass of wine right, and I'm toasting to friendship. I hope you are too.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Service Oriented
Yikes. I didn't even realize that the last post I wrote was from May! Time really flies; we're at the end of June now and with that, six months has gone by in 2010. Crazy!
Anyway, my rant for the day is in reference to a recent tweet I made about this restaurant called Pepenero. Now, just to be clear, I am in no way complaining about the restaurant itself, the company, the institution -- not at all. I am complaining about one particular individual at the restaurant, who claimed he was the manager.
The thing is, I get it when they say, "No refills", but what I don't get is, when my friend - who obviously did not know of this policy - repeatedly asked for a refill, no one bothered to tell her that the restaurant's policy was a "no refills" policy. They simply nodded, but never came back with a refill. When the manager finally came around to responding to the request, he came back with a glass of hot water (instead of fulfilling the request of additional hot water for my friend's pot of tea). Naturally, as this was not what my friend asked for, she raised a complaint. Her complaint was then met with an answer "We don't serve refills" to which she responded, "Then you should have mentioned something to me earlier." The way that he answered her after that was just so rude, that she lost patience and said that the restaurant had just lost a loyal customer. And believe me when I say she's loyal, because we have repeatedly gone there and have repeatedly received wrong orders, wrong bills, and we still went.
What surprised me most was his response to her statement, which was basically a very arrogant, "So what?" He then pointed out that the restaurant was still doing very good business, so it basically didn't matter if she never returned.
Now, I'm someone who works in the luxury business here and for me, customer service, customer satisfaction and CRM is basically the entire basis of our business (well, besides the actual products, of course). We only survive because we treat our customers well and provide them with what they need. Our customers have repeat business with us because they feel comfortable with us, they get their needs met, and we treat them with the high respect they deserve. So imagine my shock when he so arrogantly told her (in so many words) that losing her/us as customers didn't matter! I was utterly appalled and disgusted!
Don't these people understand the value of patronage these days? How difficult it is to survive in the business world if you don't have the right attitude?
Here's my two cents worth to all restaurant operators, restaurant managers, etc: for heaven's sake, please treat your customers well. Even the worst customer should still be shown respect. You can defend your policy and whatever it is you believe in, but I have always believed that you can say it nicely and rephrase your words so that they don't sound rude.
The old saying is that the customer is the king, and I can attest to it. When we give them the service, they'll come back. And if you go the extra mile, they'll come back with seven folds, i.e. more people.
Never, ever tell a customer they don't matter, because word of mouth and the power of the internet is never to be underestimated. See how many people are on Twitter and how many followers they have (and how many followers their followers have, and the list continues), and you'll know how many people can potentially be influenced.
Anyway, my rant for the day is in reference to a recent tweet I made about this restaurant called Pepenero. Now, just to be clear, I am in no way complaining about the restaurant itself, the company, the institution -- not at all. I am complaining about one particular individual at the restaurant, who claimed he was the manager.
The thing is, I get it when they say, "No refills", but what I don't get is, when my friend - who obviously did not know of this policy - repeatedly asked for a refill, no one bothered to tell her that the restaurant's policy was a "no refills" policy. They simply nodded, but never came back with a refill. When the manager finally came around to responding to the request, he came back with a glass of hot water (instead of fulfilling the request of additional hot water for my friend's pot of tea). Naturally, as this was not what my friend asked for, she raised a complaint. Her complaint was then met with an answer "We don't serve refills" to which she responded, "Then you should have mentioned something to me earlier." The way that he answered her after that was just so rude, that she lost patience and said that the restaurant had just lost a loyal customer. And believe me when I say she's loyal, because we have repeatedly gone there and have repeatedly received wrong orders, wrong bills, and we still went.
What surprised me most was his response to her statement, which was basically a very arrogant, "So what?" He then pointed out that the restaurant was still doing very good business, so it basically didn't matter if she never returned.
Now, I'm someone who works in the luxury business here and for me, customer service, customer satisfaction and CRM is basically the entire basis of our business (well, besides the actual products, of course). We only survive because we treat our customers well and provide them with what they need. Our customers have repeat business with us because they feel comfortable with us, they get their needs met, and we treat them with the high respect they deserve. So imagine my shock when he so arrogantly told her (in so many words) that losing her/us as customers didn't matter! I was utterly appalled and disgusted!
Don't these people understand the value of patronage these days? How difficult it is to survive in the business world if you don't have the right attitude?
Here's my two cents worth to all restaurant operators, restaurant managers, etc: for heaven's sake, please treat your customers well. Even the worst customer should still be shown respect. You can defend your policy and whatever it is you believe in, but I have always believed that you can say it nicely and rephrase your words so that they don't sound rude.
The old saying is that the customer is the king, and I can attest to it. When we give them the service, they'll come back. And if you go the extra mile, they'll come back with seven folds, i.e. more people.
Never, ever tell a customer they don't matter, because word of mouth and the power of the internet is never to be underestimated. See how many people are on Twitter and how many followers they have (and how many followers their followers have, and the list continues), and you'll know how many people can potentially be influenced.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Fear of the Scale
My second post in a day! I'm impressing myself.
A few months ago, my friend and I made a pact. We decided we would start to go on a strict diet, with the ultimate goal of losing 20 ponds (him) and 12 pounds (me). Off we went on our race, and months later, he is well on his way on achieving his desired weight, and I've achieved squat. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Ok well to be fair, I did lose 2 pounds, but obviously, I'm far behind because he managed to lose 10. Oh, and did I mention I gained the 2 pounds back?
We started out with the same goal and the same desire. We had the same drive that drove us to make the decision to do something about our weight, but between then and now, what changed? How did he end up doing better than me?
The answer is will-power. He has a massive dose of will-power and I have absolutely none.
I don't even know why I try.
I had a personal trainer and that lasted for what, three months? Then I started this fitness regime at a nearby gym. That also lasted for (at best) two months. I swore off carbs for dinner, only to find myself starving in the middle of the night and then going right back to complex carbs a mere four days after. I even force myself to try on my pre-pregnancy jeans (from 2003!) every now and then to motivate me, but it's still not getting me anywhere.
The ultimate question is this: do I even care anymore about my weight? If it is such a big deal, then why aren't I motivated enough to do something about it? And another thing. Should it even be an issue? All these articles I read keep telling me to love myself whatever shape and size I am. So why should I be bothered? It's not like I'm an elephant-sized person anyway...
Are these real questions or am I just trying to weasel myself out of this whole mess, completely denying the fact that I can't commit to losing weight for more than three months at a time? :)
Questions, questions. Who really knows the answers?
A few months ago, my friend and I made a pact. We decided we would start to go on a strict diet, with the ultimate goal of losing 20 ponds (him) and 12 pounds (me). Off we went on our race, and months later, he is well on his way on achieving his desired weight, and I've achieved squat. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Ok well to be fair, I did lose 2 pounds, but obviously, I'm far behind because he managed to lose 10. Oh, and did I mention I gained the 2 pounds back?
We started out with the same goal and the same desire. We had the same drive that drove us to make the decision to do something about our weight, but between then and now, what changed? How did he end up doing better than me?
The answer is will-power. He has a massive dose of will-power and I have absolutely none.
I don't even know why I try.
I had a personal trainer and that lasted for what, three months? Then I started this fitness regime at a nearby gym. That also lasted for (at best) two months. I swore off carbs for dinner, only to find myself starving in the middle of the night and then going right back to complex carbs a mere four days after. I even force myself to try on my pre-pregnancy jeans (from 2003!) every now and then to motivate me, but it's still not getting me anywhere.
The ultimate question is this: do I even care anymore about my weight? If it is such a big deal, then why aren't I motivated enough to do something about it? And another thing. Should it even be an issue? All these articles I read keep telling me to love myself whatever shape and size I am. So why should I be bothered? It's not like I'm an elephant-sized person anyway...
Are these real questions or am I just trying to weasel myself out of this whole mess, completely denying the fact that I can't commit to losing weight for more than three months at a time? :)
Questions, questions. Who really knows the answers?
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Oh Paris...
Another bad experience in Paris happened! Well, not to me personally, but I was there as a witness, and man, it sucked... This sounds bad no matter how I say it, but I do thank God that it wasn't me again. To have had it happen twice to me just seems a bit cruel, doesn't it?
Anyway, my friend and I were walking out of the Chanel Boutique on rue Cambon. Before you start imagining us with a dozen shopping bags and wasting all our money on Chanel stuff, we actually just had one bag each, and the items inside were small. I just bought like a pair of sunglasses, and my friend only rubber sandals. So, no, we didn't shop like crazy.
So as we walked out, a small group of 3 Italian girls (or so they say) asked us to help them find where rue Cambon was on their map because they were heading to Opera and said they didn't know where they were. Honestly, these three girls just looked like lost backpackers, so unsuspectingly, my friend helped them point out to the street name on the map to the two girls, while the third girl was talking to me and I just pointed to the direction. After all it was super easy, they just needed to walk straight up rue Cambon on to Boulevard des Capucines and turn left at rue Scribe.
A nice gesture on our part - really. But this nice gesture was then repaid by the fact that after we parted ways and turned to rue Duphot where the office entrance was (we left the office for like half an hour to go buy the stuff!), my friend noticed that her hundred euro bills went missing from her wallet! I swear to you, they were in her wallet when we left the Chanel Boutique, and they were gone ten minutes later!
The crazy thing was, the wallet was not taken, so it was purely only the cash. Someone we told this story to even said it wasn't a pick pocket, it was a magician! And to top it all off, when my friend went to the police station at Place du Marche (I think), they were very unhelpful, and even accused her of lying! I couldn't believe it! I mean, their city is full of crime left and right, the very least the police could do was be nice to tourists!!!! (I hope some of you out there reading this actually know some policemen/women in Paris so you could tell them to be niceer!)
At least when it happened to me, the guys at the police station were really nice about it and were really concerned about me. They kept asking if I was OK and if I needed anything, and they called the embassy for me... They were just really nice. After thinking about it however, it could be because they were suburban, not in the city centre. Maybe things are just a lot harsher in the city...
So anyway, long story short, please, please keep safe when traveling to Paris! And for Parisians that are reading, c'mon, do something about this. You get like (according to Wiki) nearly 15 billion visitors a year, and your economy could greatly benefit from them... Make us all feel welcomed so we don't think twice about coming back..!
Ok, that's my rant for the day.
On a happier note, I am leaving Paris today to go home and see my kids and husband. Miss them so much, and I can't wait to hug them! :)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Money
So, whoever said money is the source of all evil may just be right... And for some, the combination of love and money is just deadly.
I was recently shocked to my core when I found out this sweet, innocent young girl was stealing money from her company, which led her to being held in a jail cell for four days - and all because of what? Because her (stupid) boyfriend needed the money. So for the sake of "love" - or whatever it was they had between them, because I don't think real love would allow you to use and manipulate people - she stole from the company she worked for. When the company found out, of course the first thing they did was interogate her, then escort her down to the police station. She tried to play stupid in the beginning and say things like "I didn't know it was wrong", but at the end, she fessed up.
I couldn't get it out of my head. Why was this smart, sweet girl so easily convinced by her boyfriend to steal? She committed a crime, and didn't even get a single cent for herself! And why, oh why, did this jerk of a guy - who said he loved her by the way - even need money that badly, that he was willing to "sacrifice" his girlfriend? It wasn't a life or death situation at all.
There are somethings in this world that we can't really explain... even if they do come up with answers of why they did it, I don't think people would even get it. It might have made sense to them at the time, but it will never make sense to anyone else... Well, I don't think anyway.
On a recent twitter post, I said "It's insane how much a girl can be influenced by her boyfriend to do stupid things... :( C'mon girls, be smart!!" which got a heck of a lot of responses. So I guess it's not uncommon for girls to be influenced and used, and I don't know what their reasons are, but I'm pretty sure a lot of it has to do with money.
Yeah sure, I can't deny we all need money. We all need to buy food, clothes, to have roof over our heads and to once in awhile buy the things we want, not just the things we need. But we should only do it when we actually have the money. We can splurge when we can afford it; we definitely deserve to once in awhile. But when you don't have it, seriously, don't force yourself. Don't go do drastic things and commit crimes here and there just to get more money - it ain't worth it!
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